Posts from August, 2011

Veterinary Chiropractic involves of manipulation of the spine and joints with the hope of relieving pain and improving function of the nervous system. An underlying belief in chiropractic medicine is that if a joint is not moving properly, the body cannot maintain normal health. This is accomplished through the use of short lever, high velocity thrust of the hand to specific areas of the spine or joint. An animal chiropractor will obtain a thorough history, and then examine your pet’s stance, gait analysis and neurologic health prior to any adjustment. Veterinary chiropractic is considered a subspecialty of veterinary medicine. It is practiced by both veterinarians and human chiropractic practitioners after receiving training and certification.

Chiropractic care is used to treat Horses, dogs and cats. It is used to treat lameness and age associated changes such as difficulty getting up or down, to improve range of motion, to improve athletic performance and to improve quality of life as a whole. It can be and is used as an adjunct to traditional medicine. Chiropractic does not replace a joint that is out of place. Instead it is used to adjust a joint that has decreased normal range of motion.

Will Chiropractic Care benefit My Pet?

Chiropractic can help increase your pet’s range of motion, help alleviate back and joint pain, optimize neurologic function and help reduce the need for long term drug treatments. Improved function and decreased pain will all help to provide your pet with an overall higher quality of life.

Is Chiropractic Safe?

Always make certain that your pet is treated by a doctor certified to work on animals. Some minor discomfort can occur after an adjustment but normally resolves quickly. An incorrect or overly forceful adjustment could cause damage. That is why it is so important to use a practitioner who understands the unique anatomical make up of animals.

Is Chiropractic Expensive?

Chiropractic treatment can involve a series of visits that are aimed at alleviating problems by a series of adjustments over time. The amount of time involved would vary depending on the severity of dysfunction diagnosed. Generally, chiropractic is a cost effective method of reducing pain and improving quality of life in animals.

I was about 15 years old. I was really in to horseback riding at the time and my horse had some chronic lameness issues. We had to work closely with our veterinarian for quite some time to manage his issues. I found the medical aspect interesting and also the fact that as a veterinarian you can impact peoples’ lives through caring for their beloved family members.

2. What is the best part of your job?

There are a lot of great parts but I would have to say my favorite part is when we get to perform life saving surgeries.

3. What’s the most interesting case you’ve ever had?

When I was in my last year of school, a dog came in that had swallowed a 10 inch kitchen knife that was lodged in its esophagus in the chest. There was a lot of work done to figure out how to get the knife out without damage to the esophagus. The dog ended up being anesthetized and a PVC pipe run down the esophagus to surround the whole knife and then they were brought back up together.

4. What’s the most difficult part of your job?

The fact that the animals can’t talk. It can be very difficult to figure out why a patient does not feel well if their only symptom is they are not acting like themselves. Sometimes you wish they could answer questions for you!

5. Why become a vet when you could have gone into human medicine and made more money?

I really enjoy working with animals and their owners. I also feel that in veterinary medicine you get more chances to see a variety of case types where human medicine has become very specialized.

6. We know you have to like animals for this job but what are the other unique requirements?

Patience, good communication skills, ability to think outside the box and be flexible

7. How has veterinary medicine changed since your parent’s time?

It has become more centered around the companion animal and less focused toward livestock medicine.

8. Even though both jobs require the same amount of education; how does veterinary medicine differ from human medicine beyond the obvious question of species?

There are specialists in the veterinary world, but still the majority of veterinarians are general practitioners that work on a wide variety of problems. When you work on more than one species you do have to have a wide knowledge base and know the differences in medications, anatomy, behavior, nutritional needs, etc, etc.

9. What do you think the new horizons for veterinary medicine will be?

Not sure but looking forward to finding out. =)

10. If someone gave you a magic wand and you could go back and do it over again, would you still become a vet?

Like many people, I have always liked and been fascinated by animals and as a kid I thought I wanted to do “something with animals”. While deciding what major to choose, I decided against veterinary medicine due to the amount of schooling ahead of me. I did not decide that I would make the leap until my third year of undergrad in accountancy.

2.What is the best part of your job?

The people. In the end it really does not have as much to do with the animals as the bond owners have with their pets.

3. What’s the most interesting case you’ve ever had?

Pet owners’ hopes should include never making that list. Early on I saw a dog with blastomycosis that has really changed the way I approach that disease. He always comes to mind when I’m asked about interesting cases. “Hunter” that some of you have read about is trying to top him; I hope he does not do so.

4. What’s the most difficult part of your job?

Seeing patients deal with pain or infection that could be avoided or treated.

5. Why become a vet when you could have just as easily gone into human medicine and made more money?

Honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind back then. Never had the desire to, never thought it would make me happy. And there are a lot of jobs that would have made more financial sense.

6. We know that you have to like animals for this job but what are the other unique requirements?

Not one pet has come thru the door without a person, so being able to work with people is important.

And understanding that learning does not stop after vet school – when I think I know enough, it will be in everyone’s best interest that I retire.

7. How has veterinary medicine changed since your parent’s time?

We know more about nutrition, prevention against infections and parasitic infestation, obesity, dental care, behavior and behavioral enrichment; pets sleep in bed, not in the barn; animals are living much longer; we can do diagnostics and procedures that are similar to what is done in human medicine; what hasn’t changed?

8. Even though both jobs require the same amount of education; how does veterinary medicine differ from human medicine beyond the obvious question of species?

One of the biggest differences is the availability of specialists and the desire to see specialists. Another is how much insurance has changed the way human docs practice, from the number of patients they see and the amount of time spent with patients, to what procedures will be done, when, and by whom.

9. What do you think the new horizons for veterinary medicine will be?

It is not a new horizon, but the use of pet health insurance is likely to rise. If some of the dollar issues can be removed from owners’ decision making processes, there will be the option for better and more advanced care.

Compliance is a major issue in human and veterinary medicine – anything that can be done to make “taking your medicine” easier and to reduce “forgetting” or “being late” with doses will be a welcome advance.

10. If someone gave you a magic wand and you could go back and do it over again, would you still become a vet?

Yes, I think so. I would definitely do some things differently, but in all veterinary medicine is a very satisfying profession.